Amber & Quartz
by PastellRain
Summary: Haku Yowane is a shy and meek girl from Fallarbor Town with dreams of exploring the world. However, she feels she is too timid. Haku's only companion is an albino Eevee named Snowbell. Meeting Neru Akita, an experienced Pokémon Trainer, inspires Haku and gives her courage to fulfill her dream. Haku and Neru set out on a new adventure together to become Pokémon Champions.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **I wrote chapters 1-3 a couple of years ago before I ended up stopping. I didn't think it was good enough for people to want to read it, but now I'm just saying "what the heck" and I'm uploading it anyway. Also chapter 4 is coming.

**Here are a few notes before you start.**

I decided that the plurals of **some** Pokemon names have an "s" at the end of them (for example the plural of Eevee would be Eevees), unlike what it appears to be in canon. However, some Pokémon names, such as Zangoose, **don't** have an "s" in plural form. This is just my style of writing Pokémon names, and it depends on what looks and sounds right to me. Sorry if it doesn't agree with you.

Haku and Neru are both currently 16 years old in the story. Neru is slightly older than Haku, by twenty days. They might end up aging though, if the story does get that far. They won't be like Ash Ketchum who's forever 10 years old for some reason.

Attack names are in lowercase. It makes more sense to me.

The way Haku met Snowbell is inspired by my very old fanfiction about Haku and a cat, True Friendship.

Snowbell is **not** a shiny Eevee! She's albino, which is different. Albino Pokémon may not yet exist in any official media, but I like to imagine it's possible.

The month this story starts in is May.

* * *

"Oh... it was just a dream."

Haku Yowane was from a town where the sunlight was weak.

It was good for her sensitive skin, however. It never burned in the sun, which was blocked by the thick haze of volcanic ash lingering in the air. It wasn't good for the young girl's lungs, however.

Haku Yowane was born and raised in this town; a small and quietly quaint farmland town near a volcano. Nothing significant ever happened there, and the people rarely lingered beyond the border. Most of the people in town knew each other. But not Haku, who always hid in her house. She was too shy and timid to leave her little home, and had been homeschooled, as there was no public school in Fallarbor town.

Then came the day her mother said...

"Haku, don't you think you should get out more often, in order to make friends and learn about the world around you?"

Haku was to tired to respond. She had just woken up in her bed (which was her safe haven), was still under the covers. She had slept in until noon. Haku's mother closed the door after a few seconds and went back downstairs, sighing.

Haku felt a pang of regret.

It wasn't like she didn't want to go out and see the world. In fact, it was her quiet dream to go on an adventure somewhere. But in reality, she was just too scared of the possibilities. The world was just so big. Being sheltered, she just thought she wasn't ready. Not even to just go to the neighbors' house and say hello.

Even though she had dreams about finally overcoming her fears and setting out on an adventure, the moment she woke up, her courage felt so far away again.

Haku slowly got up from bed and looked in the mirror. There was a tall, lanky girl with milky white hair, snow-kissed eyelashes and eyebrows, who was growing up too fast. Off-white skin, and starkly contrasting scarlet eyes. Some people would say Haku Yowane looked like a ghost. She really was just a lonely girl with albinism.

Being albino was the root of her shyness. Ever since she was a certain age, she was always afraid to go outside in case somebody would mention something about her skin, paler than the volcanic ash that choked the air, or her ghostly hair, or even her scary eyes.

At least in a place like Fallarbor Town, she couldn't get a sunburn.

After lazily tying her long hair into a messy low ponytail, the shy girl hobbled down the stairs, daydreaming.

"Honey, could you go to the grocery store for me? We need food ingredients."

Before going out, Haku made sure to bring her Eevee. It was strange, but Snowbell didn't like being in a Poké Ball. It was probably because she liked being able to feel Haku with her.

Snowbell was an odd Eevee, and Haku's best friend. Just like Haku, Snowbell was albino, with all-white fur, and almost colorless light blue pupils.

Haku could recall the cold day she met Snowbell.

Haku's life had been rather upsetting and lonely. This day had been especially bad. Haku wanted to disappear for a while, to be one with the ash that fell from the sky. Nobody paid any attention to it. Haku wanted to be gone, at least just for a little while...

She went to the cool, thick woods where nobody hung around. So silent, it was practically a sound in itself. Nothing but nature, serenity, and whatever thoughts you decided to bring.

It was like running away for a while, to her secret spot. A small clearing in the woods with a mysterious bench that nobody but her seemed to use. A place where nobody could see her tears, where it was quiet, and where nothing mattered.

Haku had never seen snow before, but she liked pretending the dry gray ash all around her was a winter wonderland of sorts, but without the feeling of chills or frostbite.

While she was lost in the gray sky of thoughts, a nearby bush began to rustle.

Haku was startled and began to think the worst. She was afraid of Pokémon at the time. Was a scary one going to attack? Or even worse, was a person going to disrupt her peace? Haku braced herself and grabbed her backpack, just in case she had to flee.

Instead, a small white Pokémon, looking almost like a moving ball of snow, wobbled out weakly. Upon inspection, with a noticeable limp and dark blood staining one side of its snowy pelt, it was badly wounded, and had been that way for a while.

Right in front of Haku, it then collapsed. It was as if it had used the last of its energy to crawl out of the bushes so that Haku could see it. This Pokémon was putting its trust into Haku to save its life.

Haku felt something inside of her break, as if someone had dropped it... It was her first time seeing something so sad, something so helpless and hurt to what was seemingly beyond repair.

"What should I do?" Haku thought, kneeling to the Pokémon. It was in pain, breathing heavily, and the wound looked even more severe up close. "I'm so far from the Pokémon Center..."

On top of it all, Haku was scared of Pokémon. Her mom didn't like Pokémon either. But this one... it needed her help.

Haku quickly took her jacket and covered the wound, preventing it from bleeding any more. Her jacket was to be covered in blood, but Haku didn't care, even if her mom were to get mad. Haku wanted as much as she possibly could to help the Pokémon. But was it going to be enough?

"Don't worry..." Haku muttered through tears and panic.

The Pokémon Center was going to handle the rest. Haku ran as fast as she could the entire way.

By the time she got to the Pokémon center, the girl, completely winded, legs with scratches and scrapes from the bushes and falling down, carrying an injured Pokémon, burst through the door on the verge of tears.

"Please... help this Pokémon. Please tell me it isn't too late..."

It was a nerve-wracking wait, but in a couple of hours, the nurses confirmed that the Pokémon was going to be fine.

Haku did come home late that day, and her mother understood.

"It's really good that you saved that Pokémon's life. I'm proud of you."

"Really?" Haku said.

Eventually, Haku found out what kind of Pokémon it was.

"I was surprised too." The nurse said. "It appears to be an Eevee, a rare Pokémon to be found in the Hoenn region."

"But... Eevees are brown..." Haku muttered.

"Not all the time. They come in other colors, though it's rare. This particular one seems to be albino." The nurse said.

Haku suddenly felt a connection to the Pokémon she saved. Maybe there was a reason it had happened. Maybe it was like they were connected. That's what Haku felt when she visited the Eevee while it was recovering.

Eventually, the Eevee had fully recovered, and Haku got to see it one last time. The Pokémon that was once faint and severely injured was now buoyant and full of life. It brought tears to Haku's eyes. It was like a miracle...

"I guess it's time to say goodbye now..." Haku said tearfully, thinking of releasing it into the wild where it belonged. After all, her mother didn't really like Pokémon, and never let her keep one.

But to Haku's surprise, the Eevee looked at her in a way where it didn't want to go. It jumped up into Haku's arms and began to lick her face.

"Eev!" It squeaked.

"Haku, I think it wants to be yours." Her mother said.

Haku wiped the tears from her eyes, not believing her ears.

"Really?" She said.

"Eev! Eev!" The Pokémon seemed to be filled with gratitude.

From then on, Haku and Snowbell had been inseparable.

Snowbell was a curious Eevee who loved to explore, be it the house, or any new place. Haku felt safer when she was with Snowbell. She wished she were a little braver so she could explore with Snowbell.

As Haku petted the Eevee, it began to purr.

"We're going to the grocery store, okay Snowbell?" Haku said.

"Eev!" The Eevee squeaked in understanding and began to follow Haku on its stubby paws.

Haku still felt a little uncomfortable going around town, so she wore a light periwinkle hoodie and long jeans that covered a lot of her body. She dressed in such a way because she was shy. Snowbell followed Haku around loyally.

The grocery store was a few blocks away. Haku pulled out the shopping list her mother gave her and looked through it.

"Lettuce, carrots, toothpaste, Pokémon food for Snowbell..."

As Haku shopped, she would talk to Snowbell about things as she put cans in the shopping cart and walked down the aisles. Haku knew she was always listening.

"Snowbell, I'm sorry I'm so scared. To go on an adventure, I mean. Lately, I've really been thinking about it... I mean, what's stopping me? I'm sixteen years old! I could've been doing this since I was a ten. Why am I such a coward..."

"Vee?" Snowbell rubbed her face against Haku's ankle, and then looked at her with shining eyes.

Almost if Snowbell was telling Haku she could do it.

"Thank you, Snowbell..." Haku said. "I'll... I'll do it someday."

Haku perked up and lovingly lifted the soft white Eevee into the small seat of the shopping cart so she didn't have to walk.

"Maybe not today... but one day, I'll show the world I'm strong..."

When Haku got to the aisle of Pokémon products, she spotted a girl who looked like she'd been on all sorts of adventure. The exact opposite of her. Was she adventuring throughout the region and stopped in Haku's little town to get supplies for her journey? It seemed so exciting. Haku wondered how far from home she happened to be...

Her outfit was slightly torn, and had noticeably been though a lot. Her blonde hair had been tied into a high ponytail, a functional, adventurous hairstyle.

Haku suddenly felt a pang of longing in her heart.

The brand of Pokémon food Haku bought was right where the girl was, so she shyly came over to grab a bag.

Snowbell seemed curious and began eyeing the other girl with interest.

"Well, hello there!" The girl said, letting the Eevee sniff her hand.

"Oh, um... hi." Haku shyly murmured out.

"Is this your Pokémon?" The girl asked.

"Um... yes." Haku said.

"I've never seen a white Eevee before!" The girl said, smiling. "That's pretty cool."

"Oh, thank you..." Haku said. She didn't know what else to say.

"Well, see you around, trainer." The girl said, "Good luck!"

Haku was too shy and befuddled to answer. The girl mistook her for a fellow trainer?

Haku didn't want to break the truth to her, the truth that she was too scared to be a trainer.

After she paid for the items at the checkout, Haku walked out of the store...

"Help! Someone, please!"

She heard a cry of distress pierce her ear. Haku couldn't stand to see or hear people in danger, but being the only one around, she had to help...

She turned her face in the direction the cry came from. A short, stocky man was being attacked by a large canine Pokémon with long black fur.

"What should I do?" Haku thought again. The last timed she remembered thinking that thought was when she rescued Snowbell. The tension felt so familiar.

Back then, Haku jumped in to help the poor Pokémon. This time, Haku felt she needed to jump in as well.

"Alright, Snowbell..." Haku said, shakily, "Are you... ready to battle?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Alright Snowbell, are you ready to battle!"

"Eev!" Snowbell looked at Haku with a determined face. She was so brave! Haku longed to be like her.

"Alright then... Snowbell, tackle that Pokémon!"

Snowbell nodded once and charged forward, leaving a cloud of volcanic ash kicked up behind it. She leaped into the air, and tackled the shadowy Pokémon with all her might.

"Snowbell, use bite!"

Snowbell parted her small fangs and bit the Pokémon on the lower neck. However, the black Pokemon lunged over her like an opaque shadow. It was much bigger than little Snowbell.

"Snowbell!" Haku shouted worriedly.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.

"Champ, use karate chop!"

Another small Pokémon leaped out from behind Haku, and gave the big Pokemon a brutal karate chop right in its face! It was super effective, and the large canine-like creature was knocked onto the ground.

The black Pokemon then howled in pain, got up weakly, and promptly fled the scene.

Haku looked to see who was behind her. It was the trainer from earlier!

"Hey, not bad!" She said to Haku. "Your little Eevee sure made a big tackle on that big Mightyena!"

"Um... thanks!" Haku said, smiling. "Your Pancham was great too!"

Adrenaline was still surging though Haku's veins, and it actually felt good. She felt... thrilled!

"Thanks for saving me, trainers!" The person being attacked got up off the ground and approached Haku gratefully.

"Ah, are you okay?" Haku asked.

"I'm fine! I can't thank you two enough!" The man said. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Professor Birch, a Pokémon Professor from Littleroot Town. I really should have brought a Pokémon with me to defend me from that Mightyena, but I guess even Pokémon Professors can be reckless now and again!"

"I'm Neru, all the way from Johto." The blonde girl said. "I'm aiming to take on the Pokémon League and become the next Champion!"

Neru's aspirations sounded so big. Also, she was from somewhere as distant as Johto?

"And I'm... uh... Haku..." Haku stammered shyly. "And to tell the truth, I'm... not really a trainer."

Neru and Professer Birch looked a little surprised.

"What? But, you handled yourself so well in that battle!" Neru said.

"I... did?" Haku asked.

"Sure you did." Professor Birch said. "From witnessing that, I'm certain that you have lots of potential!"

"But... I'm really scared... of Pokémon." Haku said. "How can someone like me ever be a trainer?"

"Haku, if you really want to do something, it's always possible." Professor Birch said.

"Well, in the end, are things you fear really that scary?" Neru asked.

Haku thought for a moment, and realized she had been braver lately, ever since she rescued Snowbell. Perhaps it was Snowbell who made her brave. Or perhaps, Haku was just growing.

"Um... maybe I'll go on an adventure. But I'll have to ask my mom first."

It all felt so sudden.

* * *

The three began to head back to Haku's house. She couldn't wait to tell the news to her mom, who would be thrilled.

Haku knocked on the door, shivering with excitement.

The door opened...

"Haku, honey? you do realize this is your house, and you have the keys." Haku's mother came out and said.

Haku's face turned red.

"Ah! Oops, I guess I forgot." She said. Way to ruin such a climatic moment!

"Anyway, who are the guests?" Mom said.

"I'm Neru." Said the girl. "And Haku has some news for you!"

"Mom..."

Here goes...

Haku took a deep breath and looked her mother right in the eye.

"I've decided... that I'm going to set out and become a Pokémon trainer."

Haku's mother was speechless for a few seconds. Previously, she didn't like Pokémon and may not have approved of Haku going on an adventure. But being with Snowbell had changed both of them.

"Haku? Really?" She asked. "Oh, honey... are you sure you're ready? What made you want to do this so suddenly?"

Haku and the others told the whole story to her mother.

"Oh, I see... you've wanted this for so long, but you never felt you were brave enough?" Haku's mom asked.

Haku nodded bashfully.

"Well, I think you'll do fine." She said.

"So, I'm planning on setting out with Neru tomorrow morning." Haku said. "Can Neru stay the night? She needs somewhere to rest too."

"Certainly!" Haku's mom said. "Oh, Haku... I'm so proud of you!"

* * *

That night, Neru gulped down a hearty dinner of curry and fried rice made by Haku's mother.

"I guess traveling does make you hungry." Haku said, watching her eat. Snowbell and Champ were eating Pokémon chow out of bowls on the floor, seeming to be getting along.

Neru told stories of travel to Haku and her mother, saying that her father was a big Pokémon battler back in the day.

"Now he's a researcher who lives in Kalos. I don't get to see him very often." Neru said.

"So, Neru, are you planning on entering the Hoenn league?"

"Mm-hm!" Neru said, "I've actually already taken on the Johto League and got in third place. Now I'm starting a new adventure here in Hoenn with only this trusty Pancham by my side."

Haku's eyes expanded. She felt impressed that someone like Neru was even in her house, being friendly to her. Did she even deserve to be in her presence...?

"That's incredible!" Haku's mother said. "You may be starting anew, but you're thoroughly experienced. Perhaps you could be a good mentor for my daughter."

Haku blushed a bit.

"So... surely you must have many other strong Pokémon." Haku said.

"Oh yeah, but my father is taking care of them right now at his lab."

Haku suddenly thought about perhaps entering the Hoenn League herself. It was a thought she never considered before. She never thought she was cut out for battling, and was now debating whether to even try. Did Haku really have the moxie and discipline?

"So, this place is pretty interesting." Neru said. "It's a small town, but the volcanic ash is everywhere!"

Indeed, Hoenn was a land of many different terrains, and Haku happened to live where the land was pretty rough.

"Well, you've probably seen lots of other great places." Haku said.

"Yeah." Neru said. "But I like this place a lot. It has nice people!"

Haku smiled.

Haku was excited to explore all of Hoenn's different places, even the ones that sounded scary, or uncomfortable. They were all part of the journey...

"Whew, I'm stuffed!" Neru said after finishing. "Thanks for the meal!"

* * *

After a while of relaxing on the couch together, chatting and bonding over Pokémon trainer programs on the television, the two went upstairs to Haku's room to sleep. Neru was going to sleep on a sleeping bag on the floor.

"Don't worry, I'm used to sleeping in this old thing." Neru said. "So Haku, are you excited?"

Haku suddenly realized how quiet she had been, and decided to speak more.

"Y-yeah. I'm excited..." Haku said. "It's all so weird though. This morning, I never would've guessed I would be doing anything different. I never would have imagined that on this unsuspecting day, my life would change. But now... I guess found the courage inside of me. And well, it's all because of you and Snowbell that I feel this way... So thank you."

Haku suddenly heard Neru snoring peacefully.

"Well, I guessed I bored you, huh." Haku said, chuckling to herself.

"Ah... Wait, no..." Neru said groggily. "I was just sleepy, that's all."

Haku laughed a little bit.

"Well, good night." She said.

"Good night, Haku." Said Neru.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Haku and Neru ended up sleeping for longer then they had planned to.

It was finally Haku's mom who came in the room and prompted them to wake up.

"Haku, honey! I thought you wanted to become a trainer!"

Haku sat up weakly on her bed, still half-asleep. Then she suddenly remembered...

"Ah! Oh yeah!" She suddenly felt a burst of energy surge through her and wake her right up. "Neru! Wake up! It's time for me to start my adventure!"

"Five more minutes, mom..." Neru grumbled and mumbled while half-asleep.

Snowbell happily trotted in and began to lick Neru's face.

"Gyaaah!" Neru jolted right up. Haku laughed.

"Snowbell used lick attack!" Neru said. "Gee, now I understand how it can paralyze a foe..."

* * *

"So Haku, while you were asleep, I was getting all the necessary things ready for you." Haku's mom said. "Here's a big backpack, a change of clothes, some potions, a digital map, Pokémon food, lots of Poké balls, bandages and gauze, medicine, and extra snacks in case you get hungry, dear."

"Gee, thanks!" Haku felt astounded looking though her stuff. Carrying a heavy backpack full of things, she began to feel like a real trainer. Yet the backpack was designed to be nice and compact, fitting things in conveniently without taking too much space.

"You're welcome!" Haku's mom said, "Now stay safe, and don't forget to visit!"

Haku tied on her favorite pair of running shoes, adjusted her backpack, and alongside Neru, took the first few steps of her biggest real adventure.

After a few more steps, Haku looked back to see her mother looking sentimental.

"Adventure is the biggest part of our lives, and why we live." Haku's mom said, "Have fun on yours! I love you sweetie!"

Haku ran back to hug her mother one last time. This time, Haku was officially setting out.

After a small bit of walking, they crossed paths with Professor Birch.

"Ah, it's Haku and Neru!" He said, "You know, I forgot to give you these yesterday."

Professor Birch handed out two red rectangular electric devices.

"These are Pokédexes." He said. "It automatically records data of every Pokémon you encounter. Therefore you can learn more about them and how to battle them!"

"Oh thanks! I needed one of these!" Neru thanked the professor.

Haku opened hers up, and held it close to her Eevee.

"Wow... all this information about Eevees popped up!" Haku said.

"I told you, it's really convenient." Professor Birch said. "Well, I have to get going for work-related reasons, but have a great adventure, you two!"

"Bye!" Haku and Neru said.

* * *

Once they got to the edge of the town, scattered with rural farmland, Haku felt a triumphant thrill fall over like no other. She was now so far way from her little house, possibly the farthest she's ever been. All she had to do was step over the boundaries and she would officially be on the adventure of her life.

"I'm in a place I've never been before..." Haku said, marveling the sights. The hills of orange dirt were gently rolling, fading away in the distance due to the ash in the air. Tall trees were scattered around, mostly evergreen. They were currently in the countryside, and small farm buildings and flat pastures were scattered about as well.

"Doesn't it feel good to see the world?" Neru said.

"Yeah!" Haku replied with a burst of energy.

They walked even further until the tilled farmland all turned to red, rocky wilderness. A large, jagged cliff loomed above them. In a large pond nearby, slippery eel-looking Pokémon were swimming in mineral-rich water that was barely clear.

Haku took out her Pokédex and pointed it to the Pokémon.

"Barboach, the whiskers Pokémon..." Haku read along to the Pokédex entry that appeared. "It's whiskers are a superb radar system... It's covered in a slimy film as its defense..."

"Well, why don't you try and catch one?" Neru asked. "You have Poké balls, right?"

"But wouldn't it need water to survive?" Haku asked, concerned.

"The inside of a Poké ball provides a perfect habitat for whatever Pokémon that happens to be in it." Neru said. "So don't worry!"

"Oh, alright..." Haku said. "I've... never caught a Pokémon though."

"Well first, you should battle with it to weaken the Pokémon so it won't escape." Neru said.

Suddenly, one of the Barboach jumped out of the water and squirted water in Haku's face before returning to the pond with a splash!

Haku squealed and shook herself dry.

"Haha, maybe it wants to battle with you!" Neru said.

"Oh... okay!" Haku summoned her courage.

"Snowbell!" Haku called up her trusty Eevee partner. "Time to battle a Pokémon!"

"Vee!" Snowbell shook with jest.

"Alright, Snowbell! Tackle!"

Snowbell stood her ground, waiting until the Pokémon jumped out of the water to jump up and tackle it. But to small Eevee's surprise, the Barboach shot another stream of water from its mouth, knocking Snowbell back!

"Don't give up, Snowbell! Um... dive into the water and bite it!"

The little Eevee jumped in the water with a splash, and bit the Pokémon. Then to Snkwbell's surprise, the Barboach slid out between Snowbell's teeth unharmed. Snowbell tried to bite down harder, but the opponent was just much too slippery!

Only a small scratch was left on it as the Barboach quickly swam away with the rest of its fellow species.

"Oh... I couldn't catch that one." Haku got to her knees and gave a heaving sigh.

"But you still did good for a first-timer." Neru said. "Plus you learned something. Barboach are really slippery and use it to their defense!"

"Yeah... Well, good job, Snowbell. But now you're all wet..."

"I have a towel you can use to dry Snowbell!" Neru said.

* * *

Neru mentioned that if they kept heading down the increasingly lush path, past a cavern known as Meteor Falls, they would then reach Rustboro City. The tall ledges up ahead would make for a one-way trip, and they would have to take a long and treacherous alternate path to ever get back to Fallarbor Town.

"Wow... I didn't realize how hard it would be to get back home..." Haku said. "I don't want to turn back now, but..."

Haku felt a pang of emotion imagining that her home was now so far away.

The two walked down the sparsely-populated path even more, until they came across the sight of another trainer.

"Another trainer!" Neru said.

Haku suddenly began to feel shy.

But when they watched closer at the other trainer, the black-haired trainer released one of the Zangoose they had back into the wild. It rain away disdainfully. This piqued Neru's curiosity.

"Why did ya just release that Zangoose?" Neru asked.

"Because. It was weaker than the other one I just caught." Said the trainer, rather nonchalantly.

"Huh? But that's kind of unfair!" Neru said. "I wouldn't get rid of my Pokémon, no matter how weak they are."

"Not me." The trainer said. "I only work with strong Pokémon that are worthy of my time."

This struck a nerve inside Neru.

"That's... so closed-minded of you!" She rose her voice suddenly.

"Psh. I have no time for this." The other trainer huffed and began to walk away. Neru didn't let them escape.

"Listen, you." Neru angrily followed behind her. "All Pokémon have what it takes to be strong. A GOOD trainer should be able to bring out the strength in ALL Pokémon!"

"Go away." The trainer said.

"You just don't want to admit that you aren't a very good trainer. You only use Pokémon that are strong from the start so you don't have to put effort in raising them."

"My gosh. Will this brat ever shut up?" The trainer said again.

"Admit it, you're a lousy trainer and your Pokémon probably don't like you." Neru said.

"Well, would a lousy trainer have four Hoenn League gym badges?" The female trainer took out her badge case and practically rubbed her shining symbols of achievement in Neru's face. "So how many badges do you have, entitled brat?"

Neru became furious and steam practically came from her ears, like a Torkoal that was ready to attack.

"Don't you dare try to push others down just because you have more badges!"

"Heh." The trainer smirked. She turned around and looked Neru in the eye. She had really piercing, amber-colored irises.

"Listen, you're not better than me for preaching your nonsense. Only elite trainers who use strong Pokémon become champions. That's just how it is."

The trainer turned around stoically and trailed off into the distance with a pristine gait.

"Oh... I hate people like her!" Neru stomped the ground once to calm herself down. It hurt her toe, which she didn't want to admit.

"Neru...?" Haku said softly.

"Yes..." Neru grumbled.

"Uh... You might not have any Hoenn badges now, but didn't you come in third place in the Johto League?"

Neru suddenly made a fantastic face filled with shock and mild horror.

"HOLY DIGLETT!" She yelled. "I forgot! Darn! Darn it! I could have obliterated that argument if only I remembered!"

Haku pat Neru on her head to calm her down.

Neru sighed.

"Anyway, sorry you had to witness that, Haku." Neru sighed.

"It's okay..." Haku said, "I agree with you too. Because... Because if I had given up on myself because I was weak, I wouldn't be out here right now..."

"That's right!" Neru said, "You shouldn't give up on your Pokémon if they're weak either. Anyway, let's take a break. I think there's a rest stop up ahead."

* * *

Once they got to the rest stop, they ordered sandwiches for lunch. Neru went to the PC and logged in, to see that she had a message from her father.

"Hello Neru, how are you doing? I heard you started a second journey in Hoenn. I wish you good luck! Anyway, as I was all the way in Kalos, I caught an interesting sort of Pokémon. I thought you would like to have it.

Love, Dad. Take good care of Eos!"

"Eos?" Haku and Neru said together.

A little while after reading the message, a Poké Ball materialized inside the ball slot.

"No way, dad set me a Pokémon!" Neru said.

The technology of recent days made it so that Pokémon could be stored inside the PC, become data, and materialize back into the real world when they are taken out.

Neru took the Poké ball in her hand. The round capsule opened, emitting a white light. The white light then took the form of the Pokémon that was waiting inside the ball.

The Pokémon looked at Neru, then Haku, then all around the rest stop. It was mostly yellow, with a lizard tail, floppy black ears, and large eyes.

"Oh... wow! What kind of Pokémon is that?" Neru pointed her Pokédex to the creature.

"...It's a Helioptile! They generate energy from basking in the sun!" Neru read.

"Helio..." The Pokémon cried, seeming overwhelmed by its new environment.

"It's saying 'helio' to you!" Haku said, making a (really bad) pun.

"You must be Eos." Neru spoke to the new Pokémon, smiling and reaching out her hand. "I'm Neru! Would you like to join us on our adventure?"

But to Neru's surprise, the Pokémon grew a surprised expression and hid itself away shyly. Neru and Haku glanced at each other.

"Don't be shy." Neru said again to the Pokémon. "I'm going to take good care of you."

"Helio?" The Pokémon squeaked again, peeking its head from behind the desk.

"Don't worry!" Neru said.

The Helioptile took small steps out from the desk. Snowbell began to approach the new Pokémon and sniffed it.

"Eev!" Snowbell squeaked in a welcoming way.

"Lio?" Eos seemed a tiny bit more comfortable now.

"Don't worry, I think she'll get used to us soon." Haku said.


End file.
